# WatchGuard Firebox Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra

> With the help of Capterra, learn about WatchGuard Firebox Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Network Security products and more.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/154706/Unified-Threat-Management/pricing

---

# 

 WatchGuard Firebox Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons

Last updated on March 13, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.

[Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Users](#users)[Pros and Cons](#pros-cons)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews)

WatchGuard Firebox

## What is WatchGuard Firebox?

The Firebox family of high-performance firewalls and the broad range of security services they deliver are a foundational component of WatchGuard's Unified Security Platform architecture. Firebox appliances deliver a broad range of layered protections, from standard IPS, URL filtering, gateway AV, application control, and antispam to advanced protections such as file sandboxing, DNS filtering, and more.

## What is WatchGuard Firebox used for?

[Firewall](https://www.capterra.com/firewall-software/)[Network Security](https://www.capterra.com/network-security-software/)

Overall rating

Based on 446 user reviews

Reviews sentiment

Positive

99%

Neutral

1%

Negative

0%

Pros & cons

Comprehensive, scalable network protection

Consistent stability and dependable hardware

High and unpredictable costs

Contact vendor  
for pricing

Free trial  
available

Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products...

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Do you work for WatchGuard Firebox?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=http://www.watchguard.com/&name=WatchGuard Firebox)

## Compare with a popular alternative

Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status.

### WatchGuard Firebox

4.8 (446)

VS.

[4.5 (241)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172277/ManageEngine-Firewall-Analyzer/reviews/)

Starting Price

Contact vendor

Starting Price

$395

Other, One Time

Free Trial

Free Version

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

Ease Of Use

4.4 (446)

Ease Of Use

4.5 (241)

Value For Money

4.5 (415)

Value For Money

4.6 (213)

Customer Service

4.6 (410)

Customer Service

4.7 (228)

## WatchGuard Firebox alternatives

[4.7 (68)](https://www.capterra.com/p/136163/GlassWire/reviews/)

Starting price

$35.88

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

99%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall](https://www.capterra.com/p/231835/FortiGate-Next-Generation-Firewalls/)

[4.7 (43)](https://www.capterra.com/p/231835/FortiGate-Next-Generation-Firewalls/reviews/)

Starting price

Contact vendor for pricing

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

100%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/231835/FortiGate-Next-Generation-Firewalls/)

[ESET Endpoint Security](https://www.capterra.com/p/151915/ESET-Endpoint-Security/)

[4.7 (1,169)](https://www.capterra.com/p/151915/ESET-Endpoint-Security/reviews/)

Starting price

$396.00

Per User, Per Month

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

94%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/151915/ESET-Endpoint-Security/)

Highest Rated

[Panorama](https://www.capterra.com/p/192172/Panorama/)

[4.8 (6)](https://www.capterra.com/p/192172/Panorama/#reviews)

Starting price

Contact vendor for pricing

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

User Rating

100%

of reviewers

rated it above 4 stars

[Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/192172/Panorama/)

[View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/154706/Unified-Threat-Management/alternatives/)

## Who uses WatchGuard Firebox?

Based on Capterra reviews from the past 2 years

## Pros and Cons

Comprehensive, scalable network protection

96% positive reviews out of 71

Most reviewers describe security and access control as robust, combining advanced threat prevention with easy, flexible management.

Randall C

Sr. Network Engineer, 11 - 50 employees.

"The Firebox has a very granular configuration ability that allows us to secure various aspects of the company based on their needs."

High and unpredictable costs

37% negative reviews out of 67

Some reviewers indicate pricing is a concern, citing high costs, frequent increases, and expensive renewals for features.

Adam G

IT Manager, 11 - 50 employees.

"The full security package is a little expensive for a small company like ours."

Consistent stability and dependable hardware

94% positive reviews out of 35

Most reviewers report reliability is a key strength, with stable hardware, rare failures, and dependable long-term performance.

Flexible management and usability options

100% positive reviews out of 23

Most reviewers indicate watchguard offers straightforward setup, offline configuration, and user-friendly management for diverse IT needs.

Gary G

Network Engineer, 11 - 50 employees.

"Watchguard firewalls are a great option for companies that don't have a large IT budget or large IT staff to manage and constantly monitor the firewalls. "

## Features

Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically.

VPN

4.6 (319)

89.97% of 319 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

You benefit from secure, flexible remote access through various VPN options. Users think VPN setup is simple, supports multiple protocols and devices, and integrates with MFA and AWS, though some mention SSL VPN setup can be complex.

Intrusion Prevention System

4.6 (280)

95.36% of 280 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

With this capability, you gain automated protection against network intrusions. Reviewers indicate IPS is easy to set up, regularly updated, and reliably blocks threats, though some note heavy use may affect performance on smaller devices.

Intrusion Detection System

4.5 (266)

91.35% of 266 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

It helps you monitor and detect suspicious activity in real time. Reviewers appreciate its effective threat detection, automatic blocking, and easy configuration, but some wish for better alerting and faster response to sophisticated attacks.

Policy Management

4.5 (198)

94.44% of 198 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

This aspect allows you to customize and manage security rules for users and applications. Reviewers appreciate its flexibility, intuitive setup, and centralized control, though some mention a learning curve and limited Azure integration.

Firewalls

4.8 (197)

101.02% of 197 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

WatchGuard Firebox gives you robust firewall protection, letting you easily control network traffic and customize security rules. Reviewers appreciate its strong security, straightforward configuration, and flexibility, though some mention the UI could be more modern.

IP Filtering

4.6 (223)

82.51% of 223 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Control or restrict network traffic based on the source and destination of IP addresses, protocols and ports.

WatchGuard Firebox 55 features

Define levels of authorization for access to specific files or systems

Control and manage access to company resources

Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities

Track and report on everything that happens within the system or network

Track and document all activities across devices, networks, and other systems

Software program that continuously adjusts its behavior based on observed data

System alerts about the need to escalate an issue or request

Alerts or notifications of various types such as pop-up messages, sounds, banners, or badges

Techniques to prevent and filter unwanted or unsolicited email spam from reaching a user's inbox

Prevents, detects and removes malware

Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases

Plan, schedule, and execute organization's accounts and assets to ensure compliance with policies and laws

A record of all activities within the system, including user access, changes made, etc.

Track visitors'/audience's responses across web pages and other optimized content

Track and manage adherence to policies for any service, product, process, or supplier

Control or restrict access to web content or applications

Graphical representation of data

Receive and/or send email notifications for urgent updates, requests, or other information

A chronological record of actions or occurrences within a network, software, or process

Find & retrieve relevant data or documents

WatchGuard Firebox gives you robust firewall protection, letting you easily control network traffic and customize security rules. Reviewers appreciate its strong security, straightforward configuration, and flexibility, though some mention the UI could be more modern.

Manage and track all disruptions and incidents

It helps you monitor and detect suspicious activity in real time. Reviewers appreciate its effective threat detection, automatic blocking, and easy configuration, but some wish for better alerting and faster response to sophisticated attacks.

With this capability, you gain automated protection against network intrusions. Reviewers indicate IPS is easy to set up, regularly updated, and reliably blocks threats, though some note heavy use may affect performance on smaller devices.

Control or restrict network traffic based on the source and destination of IP addresses, protocols and ports.

Collection, search, and analysis of access logs and audit logs

Observe and track the demand, usage, progress or quality of a system, product, or user

Manage and support multiple locations

Tracks and makes accessible data on the health of servers and other network components.

Install software updates and bug fixes remotely

This aspect allows you to customize and manage security rules for users and applications. Reviewers appreciate its flexibility, intuitive setup, and centralized control, though some mention a learning curve and limited Azure integration.

Analyze and gain insights into data in real-time

Receive data and information in real time

Active monitoring of systems, applications, or networks

Notifications that are delivered to users as soon as an event occurs

Active reporting of data and metrics

Remotely monitor and manage client networks, endpoints, systems, and devices via locally installed applications

Collection, analysis, and representation of numerical data and generation of reports to understand various patterns

View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data

Notifying as a warning or reminder of a potential or imminent hazard

Set & manage permission levels based on user roles and restrict access to only authorized individuals

At least a username and password is required to access the system

Systematic evaluation of the security of a company's overall security system and situation

Continuously scan servers on a designated network to monitor health and search for any irregularities or failures

Allow users to access multiple services after entering their login credentials once

Filters used to determine different types of malware threats

Security protocol that ensures secure, encrypted communication over the internet, safeguarding sensitive data from unauthorized access

Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes

Identifying, analyzing, and mitigating security issues and taking appropriate action to protect systems and data from potential harm

Extra layer of security that requires not only a password and username but also something specific to that user

Track the availability time for a designated network or website over a given period of time

Interact with data visualization elements, such as charts and graphs, to drill down into data

You benefit from secure, flexible remote access through various VPN options. Users think VPN setup is simple, supports multiple protocols and devices, and integrates with MFA and AWS, though some mention SSL VPN setup can be complex.

Discover patch statuses and vulnerabilities

Collect and analyze traffic data about website visitors

Features

4.6 (446)

4.6

Based on 446 reviews

## Pricing

Value for money

4.5 (415)

### Starting price

Contact vendor  
for pricing

Free trial  
available

Value for money

4.5 (415)

4.5

Based on 415 reviews

## Integrations

[

WatchGuard AuthPoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/186563/WatchGuard-AuthPoint/)

## Support, customer service and training options

Customer Service

4.6 (410)

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Deployment

-   Web
-   Android
-   iPhone/iPad

Typical users

-   Freelancers
-   Small businesses
-   Mid size businesses
-   Enterprises

Customer Service

4.6 (410)

4.6

Based on 410 reviews

## User reviews

Overall rating

4.8

Based on 446 reviews

Filter by rating

5(347)

4(93)

3(6)

2(0)

1(0)

Mentioned topic

Sorted by most recent

TT

Troy T.

Cretex Network Administrator

Medical Devices

### "Happy Camper"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

November 6, 2025

Very happy. Especially with the way Watchguard handled the security issue. We were patched before the press even knew watchguard had a vulnerability.

Pros

Learning curve, value for the money, customer support, network management and security are all top 5 in by book.

Cons

The watchguard mobile ssl vpn client. It works great for the IT staff, but users that are familiar with AnyConnect struggle with lock out issues.

Switched from

[Cisco Meraki](https://www.capterra.com/p/176649/Meraki-Systems-Manager/)

Cost, needed HA, ease of installation, security.

Alternatives considered

[Cisco Secure Endpoint](https://www.capterra.com/p/191198/Cisco-AMP/)

[Cisco Meraki](https://www.capterra.com/p/176649/Meraki-Systems-Manager/)

Reasons for choosing WatchGuard Firebox

Cost, needed HA, ease of installation, security.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

MR

Michael R.

CTO

Computer & Network Security

### "My go-to Perimeter Security Solution"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

October 16, 2025

I have been deploying and maintaining various firewalls for over 2 decades and found WatchGuard Firebox one of the best. Watchguard support is very good and documentation is easy to access and robust.

Pros

Robust security features and intuitive management. Provides great perimeter security and is designed for small and medium business. Flexible deployment with either on-premise or cloud infrastructures such as Azure and AWS.

Cons

Initial HA Cluster deployment can be a hassle. Migration for managing locally to managing in WatchGuard Cloud is time consuming.

Switched from

[Sonicwall Network Security Manager](https://www.capterra.com/p/219070/Sonicwall-Network-Security-Manager/)

Watchguard provided us with a network security solution that provided high value at reasonable cost for our clients which are mostly small and medium sized businesses.

Alternatives considered

[FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall](https://www.capterra.com/p/231835/FortiGate-Next-Generation-Firewalls/)

[Sophos UTM](https://www.capterra.com/p/141127/Sophos-UTM/)

Reasons for choosing WatchGuard Firebox

Great value, easy management, easy upgrades and migrations, and great support

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

JH

James H.

IT Director

Religious Institutions

### "Overall decent product and solid, not flaky"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

August 14, 2025

I've used Watchguard for years. Product is solid. Support has always been great. Running into EOL when the product still functions great is a bummer as means I need to purchase a replacement. I get about 6 years due to this limitation.

Pros

Support is excellent when needed. Usually do support by email, but on occasion have called in when a critical issue has occurred.

Cons

Technically strong product, but because of the complexity, you definately need to research articles. When EOL is reached, unit is still working great, but if you want support (or add-on services like WebBlocker) you are out of luck.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

PR

Prasad R.

Regional IT Specialist

Machinery

### " Uncomplicated Security"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

July 30, 2025

Breadth of services Strong customer focus Product roadmap and future vision Product functionality and performance Overall cost

Pros

Ease of use is by far the most important. They don't over-complicate security. 2) Wide range of products. From endpoints, firewalls and MDR, they have you covered. 3) Pricing is competitive. They provide a cohesive set of products priced at a point that small and mid sized businesses can afford.

Cons

1) Firecloud is a manual process to connect to for the end users. 2) Would be great if there was a smoother process to migrate local managed firewalls to cloud managed firewalls. 3) Sometimes I wish I had direct contact with the development team to better assist when there are issues

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

RC

Ron C.

Office Manager

Accounting

### "WatchGuard Firebox"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

9/10

July 29, 2025

We have been using WatchGuard devices for over five years and they have kept our network and data safe.

Pros

The WatchGuard Firebox T40 keeps our network safe from outside intrusions and theft. It gives our company a piece of mind knowing we have security in place to protect our clients data.

Cons

I'm not familiar with the software aspect of our Firebox T40, so we have outsourced that part to another company.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

CJ

Chris J.

Owner

Retail

### "Firebox T15"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

9/10

July 29, 2025

We have been very satisfied with the Firebox experience, and with Watchguard in general. All our questions have been addressed with excellent technical support.

Pros

I feel very confident in the security features we have set up within the Firebox. We can tailor it to fit our business, which does a lot of governmental logins and emails, and we were able to make all the adjustments needed for a seamless experience

Cons

The learning curve is a little steep, but I expected that given the security issues we needed to address.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

DV

Danny V.

director

Computer Hardware

### "Why watchguard"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

July 29, 2025

Fair price/quality. The firebox is a very solid product, and the service form watchguard is very acceptable!

Pros

Very reliable product and after sales. The learning curve is very good. The performance is as it should be.

Cons

The interface is not always consistent in the firebox, and some items are on different/double places to maintain.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

NL

Nathan L.

VP of Information Technology

Real Estate

### "WatchGuard Review"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

July 28, 2025

Great! We have many SoHo deployments that are put in place with %100 Success. Small Footprint and easy to copy policies from one box to another.

Pros

Value for Money, Customer Support, Network Management, Ease of Deployment, Online Documentation, Protection.

Cons

Ability to modify custom policies within deafault window is not available. Only one PoE port on smaller units.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

RF

Ruth F.

Office Manager

Hospital & Health Care

### "Best IT choice we've made"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

July 28, 2025

Pros

WatchGaurd's customer support is fantastic, very easy to work with. Since switching to WatchGaurd we have Zero issues with network connection, unlike our previous firewall. We are very confident in the protection WatchGaurd offers.

Cons

We really do not have any complaints about our WatchGaurd firewall system. The only thing we could possibly have an issue with is cost but you really can't put a price on peace of mind.

Switched from

[NetSuite](https://www.capterra.com/p/135757/NetSuite/)

We were having constant connection issues.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

RM

Ranjan M.

IT Network Administrator

Media Production

### "Watchguard Review"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

July 28, 2025

I've been using Watch Guard product since 6 years. It's easy to use and more security. It's user friendly to configure

Pros

Quick Support and advance layer of security. User friendly to policy creation and configuration the Proxy

Cons

Want to protect the device with the multi factor authentication but in Watchguard there is no MFA Included

Switched from

[Sonicwall Network Security Manager](https://www.capterra.com/p/219070/Sonicwall-Network-Security-Manager/)

Security complainces, Policy configuration, & VPN setup

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

[View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/154706/Unified-Threat-Management/reviews/)

Popular comparisons

[ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer vs WatchGuard Firebox](https://www.capterra.com/compare/154706-172277/Unified-Threat-Management-vs-ManageEngine-Firewall-Analyzer)[FortiGate Next-Generation Firewall vs WatchGuard Firebox](https://www.capterra.com/compare/154706-231835/Unified-Threat-Management-vs-FortiGate-Next-Generation-Firewalls)[ESET Endpoint Security vs WatchGuard Firebox](https://www.capterra.com/compare/151915-154706/ESET-Endpoint-Security-vs-Unified-Threat-Management)

[Cisco Meraki vs WatchGuard Firebox](https://www.capterra.com/compare/154706-176649/Unified-Threat-Management-vs-Meraki-Systems-Manager)[Sense Defence AI vs WatchGuard Firebox](https://www.capterra.com/compare/154706-10002920/Unified-Threat-Management-vs-Sense-Defence-AI)[GoodAccess vs WatchGuard Firebox](https://www.capterra.com/compare/154706-208155/Unified-Threat-Management-vs-GoodAccess) 

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